Ed Lehming Photography

Monthly Archives: April 2016

“I wandered lonely as a cloud That floats on high o’er vales and hills When all at once I saw a crowd A host of golden daffodils Beside the lake beneath the trees Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.” ― William Wordsworth At long last, I feel I might be able to say that spring and warmer weather are here to stay? I’ve posted about ‘false starts‘ and the change of seasons,… Read More

“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”  – Wayne Dyer April is a strange time to visit a botanical garden, since there are no blooms to enjoy. Yet, if you look closer, vestiges of last year remain in tones of brown, gray, and yellow. Yet, amid shrivelled shells and dried branches, hints for life begin to emerge. I can’t recall the variety of tree… Read More

An interesting side entrance to Notre Dame Cathedral in Montreal. It would appear the door was added as an afterthought. iPhone 5s back camera 4.15mm f/2.2 1/125 sec;   f/2.2;   ISO 40 For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/EdLehming or my website (some images available for purchase) http://www.edlehming.com

“Love should not cause suffocation and death if it is truly love. Don’t bundle someone into an uncomfortable cage just because you want to ensure their safety in your life. The bird knows where it belongs, and will never fly to a wrong nest.” ― Michael Bassey Johnson As I stood at the base of the Whitevale Dam, watching the trout spawn, I noticed this little bird, perched atop a broken tree… Read More

“Seeing all life in perfect symmetry. Perceiving each day with righteous clarity. Living each moment in purposed reality. Believing each day is the start of eternity.” ― S. Tarr A unique way of looking at this heavily travelled bridge between Canada and the USA at Niagara Falls. I’ve driven across this bridge many times and sat, lined up, for what felt like an eternity, at the border checkpoint both going to the US and returning home to… Read More

“Little yellow flower Like a dandelion shrunk Yet she’s not its kin at all She blooms there without leaves Shows her face in early spring Shines brightly like the sun In my childhood, she was dear Quite precious to be true  She it was who truly said That spring had just arrived I picked bouquets in my small hands And brought them home to mom  Even now, quite old and grown Coltsfoot… Read More

My first submission to Mannequin Monday on Piran Cafe The eyes are a bit too lifelike. Nikon D300 Tamron 70-200 mm f/2.8 @ 122 mm 1/80 sec, f/4.5 ISO 200 For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/EdLehming or my website (some images available for purchase) http://www.edlehming.com

“The most fulfilling adventures happen when you start your journey without knowing where you’re going, because only then are you free to experience the unexpected detours you’re meant to take.”  ― A.J. Darkholme Ah, yes, the unexpected, one of my greatest delights. I set out to make photos of fish spawning in a local creek and come across a large, beautiful cluster of spring flowers I have never encountered before. They looked a… Read More

“We must begin thinking like a river if we are to leave a legacy of beauty and life for future generations.” ― David Brower Amidst the exciting rainbow trout run at Duffins Creek, other species of native fish are also in the spawn, including the White Suckers, pictured above, which are mixed among the trout as they work their way upstream. As I was walking the shore, enjoying and photographing the trout, I came… Read More

“This life is yours. Take the power to choose what you want to do and do it well. Take the power to love what you want in life and love it honestly. Take the power to walk in the forest and be a part of nature. Take the power to control your own life. No one else can do it for you. Take the power to make your life happy.” ― Susan… Read More

“When you do or think or feel something, do it with passion. Let it come from the heart. Put your heart and soul in it. And when you do, you will feel a river flowing sweetly through you and especially through your entire life. Life has much more meaning that way. ” ― Angie Karan A painterly image I made yesterday, based on a photo of two trout swimming upstream at the Whitevale… Read More

“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.” ― John Lubbock When time allows, I like to visit Duffins creek and stroll the riverbank, especially at this time of year. The narrow wooded trail follows the shoreline, through grand cedar… Read More

Today’s submission for #ThursdayDoors.

“Such is the condition of organic nature! Whose first law might be expressed in the words ‘Eat or be eaten!’ and which would seem to be one great slaughter-house, one universal scene of rapacity and injustice!” ― Erasmus Darwin Ever have one of those days where, out of nowhere, something just sneaks up and gets you from behind? You can take small comfort that you are not this Wood Frog. I’d say our… Read More

“Come with me into the woods where spring is advancing, as it does, no matter what, not being singular or particular, but one of the forever gifts, and certainly visible.” ― Mary Oliver The inevitable cycle of spring continues with its succession of flowering plants. First to bloom is the Coltsfoot, the next, which just started to bloom yesterday, predictably, about a week after the Coltsfoot, is the Bloodroot – Sanguinaria canadensis. I love this… Read More

“The strongest oak of the forest is not the one that is protected from the storm and hidden from the sun. It’s the one that stands in the open where it is compelled to struggle for its existence against the winds and rains and the scorching sun.” ― Napoleon Hill Though I saw no markers, my map showed this to be a cemetery, further investigation, this was actually the Old Lakeshore Road and it was… Read More

“We live in a world of contrast and it’s sad we are among people who can’t seem to grasp the differences surrounding them.” ― Dominic Riccitello An interesting view, looking between the vineyards at Konzelmann Wineries. As I drove down the appropriately named Lakeshore Drive, I looked to my left and noticed the CN Tower and skyscrapers of Toronto, some 32 miles distant, on the horizon, between the orderly rows of grapevines. I… Read More

A very brief post for today, as I write from my hotel room in Niagara-on-the-Lake, sifting through all my photos and doing a quick edit. The image above was made from the Canadian side of the Niagara River, looking east towards Fort Niagara, on the American side. Beyond Fort Niagara, Lake Ontario stretches beyond the horizon, bright green in the sunshine. It’s hard to believe that just over 100 years ago, the two… Read More

“Did you not look upon the world this morning and imagine it as the boy might see it? And did you not recognize the mist and the dew and the birdsong as elements not of a place or a time but of a spirit? And did you not envy the boy his spirit? ” – Jamie O’Neill Another image from my 2013 visit to one of my ‘sacred places’. The experience of spring… Read More

“The whole tree when in flower looks as if covered with snow. In the spring when the streams are in flood it is the whitest of trees. In Indian summer the leaves become bright crimson, making a still grander show than the flowers.” – John Muir Recent reports from Yosemite are informing me, in my absence, that the Sierra Dogwoods have begun to bloom. A clear indication that spring is here and… Read More

“When introverts go to church, we crave sanctuary in every sense of the word, as we flee from the disorienting distractions of twenty-first-century life. We desire to escape from superficial relationships, trivial communications and the constant noise that pervade our world, and find rest in the probing depths of God’s love.” ― Adam S. McHugh I have real love of sacred places. Cathedrals are such humbling places, filled with quiet places to sooth… Read More

“Breathe light into your body – breathe light into your Heart – Breathe light into your mind – Breathe and OPEN! Breathe and remember that you are all LIGHT – Infinite LIGHT -Blessed LIGHT- open your heart and SHINE ON!” ― Angie Karan When the elements align, I recognise just how fortunate I am. I’ve also become prepared for many lighting situations which would have challenged me a few years ago. The… Read More

“When spring came, even the false spring, there were no problems except where to be happiest. The only thing that could spoil a day was people and if you could keep from making engagements, each day had no limits. People were always the limiters of happiness except for the very few that were as good as spring itself.” ― Ernest Hemingway After a few ‘false starts’ it looks like spring has finally… Read More

“As the soft spring sun begins to set, an ethereal light strikes the trees and boulders on the far shore, setting them ablaze in gold. The dark, cold, meltwater rushes by in a mad dash through ancient rocks. Intent on the calm of the lake below, where they foam and swirl, momentarily, then merge with the now still waters that preceded them. The day ends, in peace, and light, and water.” – Ed Lehming… Read More

“Sometimes the waters of our spirits are churned and murky, and it is difficult to tap the reservoirs of our innate wisdom and knowledge. But the waters will settle as we do. Quietly and gently encourage yourself to go inside. Clarity will come.” ― Sue Patton Thoele If we were having coffee…I’d tell you this week had some major ups and some major downs. On the up side, one of my photos,… Read More

“Water that never moves.” I say to him. “It’s fine for a little while. You can drink from it and it’ll sustain you. But if it sits too long it goes bad. It grows stale. It becomes toxic.” I shake my head. “I need waves. I need waterfalls. I want rushing currents.” — Tahereh Mafi I’ve always enjoyed moving water and photographing it. I gain energy from it, as the quote above… Read More

“When the time has come, every leaf turns to face the sun!” ― Akilnathan Logeswaran “Ramps” or wild leeks (Allium tricoccum) are native North American plant and among the first plants to appear in moist woods, once the frost comes out of the ground. Because of the mild start we had to March, I thought I’d go out to see if anything had started to push through the ground yet. To my… Read More

“Whenever there is stillness there is the still small voice, God’s speaking from the whirlwind, nature’s old song, and dance…” ― Annie Dillard Chilly water flows beneath icicles formed by the spray of the creek below. I found this to be an odd sight. April in my area has been ‘confusing’. We had beautiful sunshine and mild temperatures, followed by a deep freeze, snow, freezing rain, and strong winds, all within a… Read More

I’ve spent the past few weeks reading and enjoying Guy’s Book of Essays, “More Than a Rock” and finding myself deeply connected to his way of approaching photography. I discovered him through several Facebook photography groups that I belong to. Though he’s a more articulate writer than I am, his words and thoughts resonate with me. His blog did not have a re-blog button, but I thought I’d share his latest commentary here…. Read More